Page 62 of The Other Side of Green

“And?”

“And well the whole neighborhood knows she used to sleep around for a hit. Anything for money.”

“Okay, but you are talking about things that happened nearly nineteen years ago. You were only a child, so how do you know that’s fact?”

“Evan! You can’t just explain it away. She said it, there in the kitchen. She filled in the gaps Lyra wouldn’t. Brother and sister.”

“You slept with your sister. Totally gross, dude.”

I turned, stabbing my finger at Rhian, holding myself back from physically getting into her space. “You can leave at any point you want. I don’t know why you are here.”

“I’m helping.”

I snorted. “Who?”

Her gaze flickered to Evan, a softness in it I didn’t normally associate with Rhian. “I’m ready to protect Evan’s beautiful face from your anger issues.”

The fight ebbed out of me, the stinging of my hand taking over all my senses. I sat on the edge of the bed and dropped my head into my hands. “It can’t be true.”

“I mean did your dad ever acknowledge that anything might have happened?”

My eyes stung unexpectedly. “My dad wasn’t one for words. He preferred things more physical.” I looked up at Evan. “You know that much.”

“Would your mom know?”

My mouth fell open. “I can’t ask her that. ‘Hey, Mom, do you know if Dad screwed the druggie next door and accidentally had a baby with her?’” My chest ached with a hollowness I didn’t think I’d ever felt so deep before. “Poor Lyra, finding out you were the result of a fuck just to score.”

“That’s if it’s true.”

I stared at my feet, at my stupid work shoes I’d packed knowing I’d be attending a funeral whether or not Lyra wanted me there.

Know I knew why.

Why the hell hadn’t she told me? She’d said awful things instead. That she thought I was disgusting.

“I can’t believe she hasn’t told me. Luca must have told her the night we were supposed to come home together. Why did he wait so long to tell her, us?”

“Why didn’t he just tell you four years ago; the night he made you leave?” Evan asked. “That would have made much more sense.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, almost folding over my legs as the battle to fight for anything, even to breathe evaporated from out of me. “God knows.”

“Do you think she’s your sister, Jack?”

Bile rose up my throat again. “No. I just don’t believe it.”

“Well maybe it’s Lyra you should be saying that to. Tell her that you’ll discover the truth. You love her, right?”

I went to say yes, of course, I’d only ever loved her, but I couldn’t articulate the words if it possibly meant something so wrong as incest.

Suddenly it clicked why she hadn’t told me.

She wanted to carry the guilt and leave me free of it. She thought I’d suffered enough.

“I need to go and see her.” I jumped up from the bed.

“Wait. You need facts first, an argument.”

I shook my head. “No, I just need to see her.” It burned through me, a wildfire of desperation.